FIDM Museum Blog

Diane von Furstenberg, c. 1976

 

Diane von Furstenberg's reputation began with one dress, the wrap. Introduced in 1973, von Furstenberg's signature dress is a one-piece wrap style that crosses in the front and ties at the waist. Figure hugging and made of synthetic or silk jersey knit in bright, colorful prints, the dress was meant to be tightly wrapped. Though von Furstenberg certainly didn't invent the wrap style, her version embodied the zeitgeist of the early 1970s. By 1975, her manufacturer was producing 15,000 dresses each week.

Von Furstenberg's wrap dress stemmed from a belief "that women wanted a fashion option besides hippie clothes, bell-bottoms, and stiff pantsuits that hid their femininity."¹ These styles, all popular in the early 1970s, attempted to minimize sartorial distinctions between men and women. In reaction to the prevalence of these unisex looks, von Furstenberg created "simple little sexy dresses that made women feel like women."² Based on the overwhelming popularity of her wrap dress, von Furstenberg was correct in assuming that women wanted something that emphasized the feminine form.

Diane von Furstenberg
c. 1976
Gift of Vivian Tellefsen
84.1976.008.3

Re-Designing History: The Competition

 

In conjunction with our current exhibit, Re-Designing History: FIDM Museum Study Collection, 1850-2000, FIDM Museum & Galleries held a design competition for currently enrolled FIDM students to re-design history by creating illustrations inspired by this high-fashion, c. 1872 fuchsia day dress from the FIDM Museum Study Collection.

Day dress
Silk
c. 1872
Gift of Steven Porterfield
S2008.897.5A-C

The competition was open to all majors on all campuses and more than sixty entries were submitted. The winning designs were chosen by a panel of judges who looked for overall creativity, visual composition, and design inspiration. The winning illustration (below) was designed by Elizabeth Teemley, a Theatre Costume Design student at FIDM. Look forward to a post from Elizabeth describing how she arrived at this illustration!

Elizabeth Teemley's 1st place illustration.

We thank all of our talented students for their entries and congratulate our three winners who used history to re-design the future.

L to R: Marc Blaskovits (2nd Place, Graphic Design), Elizabeth Teemley (1st Place, Theatre Costume Design), Katrina Andrews (3rd Place, Fashion Design)

Re-Designing History: FIDM Museum Study Collection, 1850-2000

 

Re-Designing History: FIDM Museum Study Collection, 1850-2000 is now open!
This free exhibition is open to the public Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–4pm, until December 17, 2010.

Coat
c. 1926
Silk & lamé brocade & mink
Gift of Ms. Judy Thomsen
FIDM Museum Study Collection
S2004.823.15

The FIDM Museum Study Collection contains 2,000 objects spanning 200 years: haute couture and ready-to-wear garments, accessories, non-western dress, and textiles. Study Collections are located on all four FIDM campuses: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, and San Diego. Students, scholars, designers, and the public access the collections for hands-on education—school projects, personal research, and design inspiration. Individual objects are examined in Museum storage or, combinations are assembled for classroom study—such as historical construction, pattern development, and sewing techniques.

Fashion is cyclical, and savvy designers glean inspiration from previous centuries. There are countless ways to rethink retro styles: great design remains a potent source even when outmoded. Our purpose in cultivating the Study Collections is to learn from successful designers and expand the knowledge of fashion history.

Vivienne Westwood
c. 2002
Silk chiffon & gold lamé
Museum Purchase
FIDM Museum Study Collection
S2004.5.3
    
To complement the exhibition, we will host the Re-Designing History Speakers Series. FIDM Museum curators Kevin Jones and Christina Johnson, and Carolyn Robertson, head of FIDM’s History of Costume Department will provide insights into the history of fashion. A guided tour of Re-Designing History will follow each presentation. All programs start at 11am and are free and open to the public.

Saturday, November 6
Kevin Jones & Christina Johnson
An Introduction to the FIDM Museum
Doris Langley Moore: Ultimate Woman in Fashion

Saturday, November 13
Carolyn Robertson
The Early 20th Century Woman: Her Changing Self-image

Saturday, December 4
Carolyn Robertson
Art: The Compelling Force behind Fashion

Saturday, December 11
Carolyn Robertson
Embellishment: More than Decoration

 

Please Note: The exhibition will be closed on November 11, 2010 for Veteran’s Day and November 25–27, 2010 for Thanksgiving break.

Silver paper headdress, c. 1860

Anyone interested in the history of fashion quickly realizes that fashion is a series of cyclical repetitions. Contemporary silhouettes, colors and design details reference recent and historic styles, often with only slight modifications to bring a garment into the present moment. This cycle isn't new or unique to contemporary culture; documented revivals of historic fashions exist in the nineteenth century and earlier. Fashion historian Barbara Baines has suggested that revivals of historic dress styles are due to a number of factors, including nostalgia and an interest in associating oneself with specific, perceived characteristics of the past. In addition to these psychological factors, concrete events like an archaeological discovery, museum exhibition or period film can inspire a revival of historic styles.¹

The 'Little Girl' look and nostalgia in fashion

During the later years of the 1960s, the '"little girl" look was prominent in fashion. Many women dressed in loose, A-line shift dresses similar to those worn by little girls and accessorized with items (hairbows, headbands, flat shoes) associated with youth. Twiggy, with her childlike appearance and demeanor, is the iconic representation of this style. As described in a somewhat satirical 1968 New York Times article, designers "flipped over the princess dresses and little smocked numbers" worn by little girls and "made the dresses larger, used very expensive fabrics and put price tags on big enough to pay for a little backyard merry-go-round."¹

Smocked dress
Jeanne Lanvin
c. 1968
Museum Purchase
S2003.5.16

Oscar dressing

In the early years of the Academy Awards, celebrities didn't always dress themselves in the latest glamorous fashions. In 1935, Claudette Colbert wore a simple traveling suit to accept the Best Actress Award for It Happened One Night. Colbert didn't expect to win, so was already on-board a New York bound train as the ceremony began. The train was held at the station and Colbert was rushed to the ceremony to accept her award. That same year, Bette Davis wore an "afternoon frock" to the Academy Awards and was criticized by the press and studio executives for her lack of glamour. During the early 1940s, Ingrid Bergman proudly wore the same black dress to the Academy Awards two years in a row!

Polonaise bodice

In 1872, fashion periodicals such as Godey's Lady's Book, Peterson's Magazine and Harper's Bazaar were filled with references to various styles of the polonaise dress. Whether a princess, vest, Russian or dolman polonaise, the common characteristic was a gathered and bunched puff of fabric at the back. Created through interior ties that pulled the fabric upwards, the polonaise was essentially a fitted overdress worn over a skirt of matching or contrasting fabric. In April of 1872, Harper's Bazaar suggested that a white polonaise was most useful, "as it may be worn effectively over black or colored silks as well as with the white skirt that complements it."

Polonaise bodice
c. 1869-1874
Gift of Anne Stampfer
94.661.2A-C

Lanvin

As designer for Lanvin since 2002, Alber Elbaz has brought new life to what had become a house on the periphery of fashion. Founded in 1885 as a millinery shop, Lanvin flourished under the direction of its founder, Jeanne Lanvin. Lanvin excelled in the creation of elegant, sophisticated garments with a distinct silhouette and inventive surface decoration. After Lanvin's death in 1946, a series of designers headed the house, though none to such acclaim as Jeanne Lanvin herself. It was only with the hiring of Alber Elbaz that Lanvin began to return to a position of prominence. Though Elbaz's designs for Lanvin are lauded for their modernity, it is possible to find traces of Jeanne Lanvin's aesthetic running throughout his work.

Evening dress
Winter 2004
Alber Elbaz for Lanvin
Gift of Barbara Bundy
2006.37.8

Cinch belt

If you happened to see this cinch belt out and about, what would be your guess as to its age? Given that it is part of the FIDM Museum collection, we probably didn't pick it up at H&M over the weekend.

Cinch belt
1952
Schaffer
Anonymous donation
89.10.1

Fast fashion

Over the last few years, collaborations between clothing designers and mass-market retailers have become increasingly common. These fast fashion or capsule collections consist of a small group of designer items created for a specific retailer and are only available for a limited time. Capsule collections allow the average consumer to purchase a designer item at significant savings while allowing mass-market chains to increase their profile through targeted marketing campaigns. For new or unestablished designers, capsule collections help spread their name and design aesthetic, while well-known designers are able to bring their designs to a wider audience. Though these collaborations are now commonplace, one of the very first high/low collaborations was between Karl Lagerfeld and H&M, which launched in November 2004.

As the first such collaboration, Lagerfeld's capsule collection received a tremendous amount of attention from both consumers and the press. Carried in roughly half of the H&M stores, customers lined up for hours before stores opened in order to purchase one of the Lagerfeld designed items. The collection sold out within hours at many H&M stores and there were reports of customers actually grabbing garments out of the hands of sales clerks. The FIDM Museum black silk cocktail dress seen below is one of Lagerfeld's designs for H&M.

Cocktail dress
Karl Lagerfeld for H&M
Fall 2004
Museum Purchase
2004.5.47A-C